CHAPTER 61

    After a night of tossing and turning in her bed, Dylan was up even before the darkness had gone away. She didn't think she would manage to get through another night knowing that Carly was still not yet back and was in the hands of an animal such as Kelley. She drank several cups of coffee then sat at the kitchen counter with her cheeks in her palm. Her head was still throbbing from too much thinking, thoughts that hadn't taken her anywhere. She felt helpless,more than she had been when her mother had died. This time was different because Carly was alive but she had absolutely no idea how to get to her. She touched the necklace she always wore around her neck. She enclosed the part that had her name on it tightly. She then twirled her fingers around it and felt the letters.

                 "I'm gonna bring you home Lee,I promise. No matter what happens to me,"she murmured softly then closed her eyes. She didn't hear someone join her until she felt a light touch on her shoulder. She opened her eyes and turned. It was Emily. "Hey," she greeted.

                  "Hey,how long have you been up?"

                    "All night. I just came here. I couldn't sleep."

                     "Me neither," Emily replied then sat on the opposite side after pouring herself a cup of coffee. She observed her. She had never seen Emily as defeated and as scared as she was right now and the past days they had been together. She was as scared as they all were and adding to the fact that she didn't have a home to return to after all this had passed. There was also no guarantee that they wouldn't all be killed by their psycho stalker. "So, tomorrow?"

                    "Yeah, it's all that I have been thinking about. It would really help if we knew who it is we are going to face," she paused,"I was thinking that maybe you shouldn't come with us. The kids need someone to look after them. Carl would never agree to being left behind because this is about his sister and Kenny is the only person experienced with guns that I can trust. The police department is corrupted,I can't trust them to help me."

                  "Even the chief?"

                   "He wanted to put me into protection but didn't bother to do a thing. I knew he was either involved or was afraid of Kelley and the influence she had on the authorities. My best guess is the second one and he didn't want to get involved. So, what do you say?"

                "Dylan as much as I would really like to stay away from all that, they is partly my fault. I was the devil in highschool and I think I brought all this to you. So,you trying to save me from all this while I stand on the sidelines just doesn't feel right especially considering all the bad things I did to you and Carly. Also, there's no guarantee that I will be safe here. What if whoever this is has other plans to make sure that none of us escapes him or her?"

                 "You are right. I'll figure out something to make sure the kids are safe." They were both silent for long while,each carried away in their own thoughts until Kenny and Carl joined them. No one was in the mood for breakfast except Kenny. Well,he wasn't in the same situation they were in so they didn't judge him. He made his and the kid's then rejoined them. 

                   "So, what's the plan?" he asked and everyone turned to her. For the first time she felt the weight of responsibility fall fully on her. It was something she loved but at this point she knew if she messed up,there wouldn't be a comeback. She needed to make sure that Carly returned unharmed and nothing happened to the others either. Even if it meant sacrificing herself for them to live. She wouldn't mention anything like that to them though because they wouldn't even want to hear of it. She loved all of them and her sacrifice wouldn't be for nothing. That was her last option. She wasn't going to give up so easily without a fight.

                    "Do you think that we could use the same number they used to contact us? I want to send them a message."

                "I mean if they just blocked their location, it's possible. We can try," Carl said. "What do you want to say to them?"

                 "I can't wait until tomorrow. This has to end today. We have already figured out where they want us. What else are we waiting for?"

                 "We are not really the ones calling the shots Dylan."

                 "I know,but it doesn't hurt to try,"she replied then went ahead to write the message. She kept it simple and direct then sent it. True enough it was delivered. She dropped the phone on the table and sighed. "Let's see if they can adjust their crazy schedule for this."

 No one commented. They all sat there silently watching the phone at the same time, waiting for any sign and holding their breath. They all didn't know what to expect and at this moment, they were nothing more or less than sitting ducks. Emily took the phone. She looked at her questioningly wondering what it was that she wanted to do.

                   "May I?" she asked and since there was nothing to hide she nodded. She saw her scroll through the messages then stop and studied one. Her face turned into a frown then,"Oh my God!"

  She sat up quickly,"What is it?"

     Emily looked around at each one of them in turns. Her face interchanged from shock to expressionless multiple times before she finally spoke.

                      "I think I know who this person is."

                     ★★★

        Carly got up from the bed she had been sleeping on startled from a dream. She didn't remember how she had fallen asleep. She remembered Kelley adjusting one of the couches in the room into a bed and telling her that was where she was going to spend the night.  She had been grateful that at least they weren't sending her back to the empty warehouse to sleep on the cold floor shackled to a pillar. Kelley was still  sleeping on another couch,her hands tucked below her armpits. She could have been holding a weapon, maybe a gun there ready to shoot her if she tried something like fleeing. She still hadn't seen the woman from the previous day but her determination to at least find out something was still there. She heard a notification sound on the laptop next to Kelley's head. If only she had the means to get to it. Actually,scratch that thought. Kelley opened her eyes immediately. Had she been awake all that while, maybe observing her with her eyes half closed just to see how far she could go with snooping around? She was glad that she hadn't followed her head when she had thought of going to Ravenna's door to try talking to her again. She looked at the clock on the wall. It was some minutes after eight.

                 "Couldn't sleep?" Kelley asked. She turned to her. 

                  "The nightmares were too much thanks to you."

                   "I guess me sacrificing my own bed for you didn't make you softer. Alright, let's see what we got this morning," Kelley stood up and headed where the laptop was. She stood up and followed her. 

                   "I want to talk to my son,"she announced. Kelley seemed to be startled when she heard her voice behind her. She knew that was not likely to happen but had decided to try but with intentions to catch a glimpse of whatever she could on the laptop.

                   "I doubt your son is awake right now,"Kelley replied then turned back to the laptop. She keyed in some letters but her hands were too fast for her to register all the letters. "Oh,but look who contacted." She turned and looked at the message. She knew that number quite well. "Looks like she was wise after all. Figured it out within a few hours. You are in luck,you might get back home to your son today."

 Kelley stood up after logging off the computer again and instead of returning to her couch or anywhere else in the house, she went outside and locked the door. She didn't know how much time she had before Kelley returned so she acted quickly. She knocked on Ravenna's door deciding to try again.

                   "Hey Rav,will you please help me? I need to know who is doing this to us. I can get you out of here but I need your help. Please give me the password for the laptop if you know." She waited for a moment then heard footsteps  on the other side.

                   "You promise to get me out of here?"

She nodded as if the young girl could see her,"I promise. I just need to communicate with someone on the outside."

                   "Okay."

Seconds later, she saw a piece of paper come through the gap they had been using the previous day. She picked it up and exhaled. If this was the right thing, what stood between her knowing everything and letting Dylan know was just her speed. She murmured a thank you into the keyhole then ran to the table. She keyed in the mixture of numbers and symbols quickly then tried it. It failed. What if the girl didn't know or what if it had been changed from what she knew. She tried again just to be sure,this time it worked. She almost gave a triumphant cry but remembered she didn't have time to spare for that then went back to the laptop. She clicked on several folders but all she could find were some things to do with fashion. Clothes, make up, jewelry but no face. Who the hell didn't store even a single photo of them on a laptop. She sat back for a few seconds but still observing the screen. Junk. Surely something would give. It wasn't really the junk folder where the deleted items were stored but a folder labeled junk. She clicked and there they were. Highschool certificates, photographs of the cheerleading squad, she included and a lot more of hers and Dylan's photographs,both alone and together which looked like they were taken over the whole time they were together. She studied them wide eyed. There was the camera label below each. She studied it and immediately recognized it. It was similar to the one she had at home. The one her friend had given to her and Dylan saying that she had taken it using her father's camera.

                   "Could it be?" she wondered out loud then continued to click forward to the other photos. Then the certificates. What she had feared most and really hoped wouldn't happen, happened at that moment. Her throat went dry and her body shivered. This couldn't be right. Why would she even do this to them? She didn't want to believe she was seeing the truth displayed before her but the photographs,the woman she had seen outside the house,the young girl whose eyes she now recognized and the fact that they had all been involved with her in one way or another added up. She recovered quickly though her heart racing and started to write a message to Dylan. This wasn't something she would have guessed.

                       ★★★

                  "Emily, what are you saying?"

                    "This message,‘The cat went sleeping and the mouse went sniffing’ it's a game we used to play when we were little kids. A game we had created for ourselves in third grade and it was just between three of us. One of us died when we were in fifth grade so it could only be one other person."

                 "Just say who it is!" Dylan almost shouted growing impatient and she could tell the others were no different.

                "It's Taylor Lockwood."

                  "What?" Dylan and Carl asked at the same time. Emily looked at both of them but could tell that they didn't believe her. Carl more than Dylan. Was it be because he had dated her for three years before they broke up? 

                     "I know it's hard to believe but think about it. We have tried everyone else but nothing gave. Taylor is the only other person I might have pissed off especially since we were best friends in elementary school,I tormented her in highschool and now she wants revenge. What I don't know is why she got both of you involved."

                    "That's my question too,"Carl said but Dylan remained quiet. She stood up and headed to the window facing outside. "I never did anything bad to her. She just dumped me. It can't be her."

    A message notification chimed in her phone. Emily still had it in her hands. She looked at it then at Dylan before handing it to her.

                       "It's Carly, she says that the person holding her together with Kelley is Taylor."

   Dylan turned slowly and took the phone then studied the message.

                   "Why would Taylor do this to us, and to you Dylan. You were good friends,"Carl asked again.

                  "I think I know why."